Thorn Audax MK 3 Review

[Vintagetourer]

Gaz...Because I live in Australia and Thorn live in England, if I had been careful with the component purchases, I would have saved money on the self-build because Thorn freight costs a lot for whole bikes to Oz.

However I was a bit indulgent with parts eg. Ti railed saddle, Ti rear rack, so  I probably spent a bit more.

I wasn't overly fussed about cost, so didn't keep close track of the budget.

I did however mostly buy so-called runout sale parts, eg good 9 speed bits are cheap now because of the roadies moving to 11 speed.

My online purchases are VAT and GST exempt which helps.

[Audax hopeful]

gaz46

Buying off the peg so to speak can be the best route financially - provided what's on offer exactly matches what you want! If you're going to spend a lot extra customising it to your needs then self build starts to make sense! Enthusiasts like many of us generally have lots of personnal touches/requirements and changing components adds up. Also self build, as you stated, tends to reduce subsequent bike shop bills and gives you the skills to troubleshoot when on tour and remote from help!

But mostly it's more fun!

Nich